Day: August 31, 2018

In 2017, a record 10 million foreign tourists visited India. As many as 103 million domestic tourists visited the picnic spots and health resorts within India, the same year. The hospitality sector contributes 6.88 percent to India’s GDP and is estimated to earn 27 billion dollars, the next year. It was the Incredible India campaign launched by Government of India in 2002 that helped India pitch itself as a high-end destination. In fiscal 2017-198, Ministry of Tourism spent Rs 300 crore to promote the campaign on various media. Central Tourism…

The merger of Idea Cellular and Vodafone India has been completed, creating India’s biggest telecom service provider with over 408 million subscribers, the two companies said on Friday. A new board has been constituted for the merged entity “Vodafone Idea Ltd’ with 12 directors (including six independent directors) and Kumar Mangalam Birla as its Chairman. The board has appointed Balesh Sharma as the CEO, the companies said in a joint statement. The combination will have all India revenue market share of 32.2% and take the numero uno slot in nine…

The Supreme Court of India has adjourned the hearing of a series of petitions regarding Article 35(A) again. The case is now listed for early January 2019, reports reaching from Delhi said. The apex court’s three-judge bench presided over by the chief justice of India Justice Deepak Mishra heard the arguments of the petitioners and the counsels for the defendants, the J&K government and the Attorney General, Government of India and finally deferred the hearing of the case till January 2019. Now the Supreme Court will take up the case…

Even as the state government has approached the Supreme Court seeking adjournment of the hearing into the petitions challenging validity of Article 35A, it has chosen not to file detailed objections to the main petition yet. The filing of the objections would have revealed J&K’s stand vis-a-vis the constitutional provision protecting state’s hereditary state subject laws. The J&K Government’s main ground for delaying the submission of detailed objections is that the main petition, ‘We the Citizens’ versus the Union of India and others, is still at the “admission stage”. Besides,…

Article 35A Row: Protests across Kashmir, restrictions in Srinagar parts, Separatists caged, SC hearing today Normal life was badly hit in Kashmir, Chenab valley and Pir Panjal region on Thursday due to the unprecedented shutdown following a strike called by Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) against the challenging of Article 35-A, the hearing of which is scheduled for Friday in the Supreme Court (SC). While authorities imposed restriction in Srinagar downtown, people largely observed civil curfew in protest against the attempts of tinkering with Article 35-A that provides special rights and privileges…

Joint Resistance Leadership Thursday condemned the ploys being employed by the authorities to punish, intimidate, harass and humiliate the families of militants. In a joint statement, the JRL, comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Miwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik said such measures will only worsen the situation and turn it ugly and out of control. The JRL said arbitrary arrest of 70-year-old AssadullahNaikoo, father of HizbulMujahideen commander ReyazNaikoo and two brothers of another militant Lateef Tiger, burning down the homes of two armed youth Shahjahan and Syed Naveed in Shopian…

Militants abducted two more relatives of Jammu and Kashmir policemen on Friday taking the number to 11 within the last three days, an official said. Former chief minister Omar Abdullah has termed the development “worrisome”. Even when the security forces were working their strategy to recover the hostages safely, a statement purportedly issued by Hizbul operational commander Riyaz Naikoo, on the social media said that henceforth the militants would follow “an eye for an eye policy”. “Police has compelled us to follow the course of an eye for an eye…